It’s no secret by now that James Harden doesn’t play defense, but come on, this is embarrassing.
While the Rockets held on to their two-point fourth-quarter lead by a thread, Harden refused to even pretend to try stopping DeMar DeRozan from driving to the basket and drawing a blocking foul.
James Harden defense (via @TheCauldron) https://t.co/3JJPiffsNZ
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) March 7, 2016
It ended up not mattering as Houston went on to beat Toronto 113-107, and Harden contributed 40 of the Rockets’ points, but in the crucial stages of the game Harden probably should be putting in a bit more effort than that.